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Friday, August 8, 2014

Stand by me



Many thanks to the Cephalopod Coffee House for coming up with this idea for a bloghop in which we review/comment/dissect a particular movie. This month it's Stand by Me, directed by Rob Reiner and based on a short story by Stephen King, called The Body


I actually read the story long before I ever saw the movie, being a long time SK fan, and I was especially pleased that the movie was as good as the book, which is often not the case with King's movies. I also thought the cast was perfect, from Keifer Sutherland as Ace to the four boys that play the main characters. What a great coming of age story as only Stephen King could write it. Honestly, I have nothing negative to say about the movie or the book - but, it has been a while since I've seen it so maybe some of the other participants will find something.

One last thing I'll mention is that this movie has some great scenes and one of my favorites is the one where Lardass Hogan gets his revenge.





Have you seen this movie? Read the short story? What did you think?

36 comments:

  1. I remember seeing it when it came out almost thirty years ago, but haven't seen it since. It seems King's non-horror works translate better to the screen.

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  2. Thanks so much for joining us, Marcy!

    Movies about kids are hard. They nearly always fall flat - if not for the acting, for the writing. But Stand by Me is beautiful, beginning to end. As you say, the casting was perfect and the writing magnificent. Much credit, though, to Rob Reiner, too. His creation is most definitely a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

    That said, the Lard Ass Hogan scene still grosses me out.

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    1. Yes, Rob Reiner definitely deserves credit for helping to make that movie as good as it was - and that scene cracked me up laughing when I first read it and again watching it when I found the clip last night.

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    2. I'm glad you included the clip in your post. Isn't it just the sort of story one can imagine a 12-year-old Stephen King writing?

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  3. I've honestly never seen Stand By Me from beginning to end. I should do something about that.

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  4. Yeah, there's no denying that this is a good film. What amazes me is how films like this, a reflection of past times, show us just how much our society has or hasn't changed and evoled. I enjoy the scene just after the Lardass story when the boys have some "deep" conversation.

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    1. I think that's one of the things that makes this film so great; it IS deep without pounding you over the head with it.

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  5. This is on my lifetime favorites list, for sure. I think the choice of actors sealed the deal (and thanks for the clip!).

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  6. I think the Barf-a-Rama scene is the one which made this movie unforgettable, for me. It has been a while since I have watched it, but at some point I had a good deal of the dialogue memorized. It gave me a window into the Boy Brain, as I was a pretty sheltered girl just entering puberty when this film released. Suddenly, all the raucous activity of my male classmates began to make more sense.

    It gave me my first teen heartthrob, River Phoenix.

    And, it made me cry.
    Thanks for sharing!
    Veronica

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    1. River Phoenix was awesome. And in the book the barf scene was so hilarious I laughed out loud while reading at night. Stephen King is one of the very few writers who can make me do that.

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  7. I didn't know that movie was based on a SK story. I'm pretty sure I still have the soundtrack on CD somewhere. Have a good weekend.

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  8. Great book, great movie! I agree that most movies based on his books are... questionable. The pie eating contest always makes me laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

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  9. I haven't seen this movie in YEARS! You're making me want to watch it again (the leeches make me cringe beyond belief).

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  10. I don't think I've ever seen Stand By Me. Hard to believe, considering what a classic it is. I should probably rectify that mistake.

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  11. One of my favorites. Loved the story when I read it (I'm odd and actually prefer King when he's not doing horror). And the movie was sensational, too. Really captured that last moment of childhood and loss of innocence.

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    1. I like almost everything he's written but Stand by Me is definitely one of his best.

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  12. I couldn't recall this one and had to look it up. I read the synopsis and still don't remember it. I remember one like this where boys found a girl at the bottom of a drain shaft at the end and rescued her. I have no idea what book/movie that was, but it wasn't this one. *sigh* I think my brain is on strike.

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    1. It's a great story and a great movie.

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  13. Oh, how well I remember the pie-eating contest.

    Love,
    Janie

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  14. I saw the movie a long time ago, but I never did read the story. Maybe I should...

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  15. It's sad how many of King's great stories have received pitiful screen treatments. I can't even watch Under the Dome. But you're right -- this one is a true classic.

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    1. The trouble with a lot of King's work is that it's difficult to transfer to the screen properly.

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  16. I read The Body so long ago (was it a novella? I think in a book with other novellas?), I can't remember it well...but it seems the movie added a lot to the book version. I know The Shawshank Redemption definitely did?

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  17. I've never actually seen the movie, but I loved its soundtrack when I was a kid

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